Aircraft appliance



Nov. 12, 1935. c. D. ELLINGSTON AIRCRAFT APPLIANCE Filed Oct. 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTO R N EY c. D. ELLINGs-rom 2,020,772

AIRCRAFT APPLIANCE Filed Oct. 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @EZ/kgs fafa XNVENTOR wmwetg l ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 12, 19.35

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The invention relates to an aircraft appliance and more particularly to a new, simplified, positive and controlled horizontal shifting of the wings and landing gear for the purposes of stabilizing the flight of a plane and safety in landing and affording new and additional shock absorbing features in the landing gear.

In the present-day type of airplane, the wings are stationary and the only method of stabilizing the plane in flight is by a device operating upon the tail surface and such a device lowers the speed of the plane in flight, creates a drag and is not positive, and not controlled, and complicated in mechanism. The present landing gears, whether aixed to the wing or not, are fixed and cannot be moved horizontally and do not furnish protection against nosing over, they being possessed only of vertical shock absorbing features.

To obviate these disadvantages it is the aim of the present invention to so construct the wings and the landing gear that they can be moved forwar-d and backward at the will of a pilot, in order to keep the plane balanced and stabilized at all times and at the control of the pilot to permit the Wings and landing gears to be quickly and instantaneously shot forward far beyond the longitudinal balance point, leaving the larger portion of the airplanes weight to be supported by the tail skid, thus affording in addition to the stabilizing feature, safety in landing and permitting positive brakes to be put on wheels an-d furnishing horizontal, as well as vertical shock absorbing features.

A further aim of the present invention is the provision of an appliance of this character, wherein the construction and the assembly in an airplane are of novel form for positive control by a pilot, with resultant and more effective operation of the airplane.

A further aim of the present invention is the provision of an appliance of this character which is comparatively simple in construction, thoroughly reliable and efiicacious in its purposes, strong, durable, and inexpensive to manufacture and install.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred embodiment of the invention, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a Vertical longitudinal sectional View through an airplane showing the appliance constructed in accordance with the invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view on the line 2--2 of Figure l looking in the direction of the arrows. 5

Figure 3 is a side elevation partly broken away showing the appliance in an adjusted position or differently positioned than that in Figure l.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail vertical longitudinal sectional view through the ap- 10 pliance.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the limits of backward and forward movements 15 of the wings and landing gear under adjustment of the appliance, the forward position being shown by full lines and the rearward position by dotted lines.

Similar reference characters indicate corre- 20 sponding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates generally the body of an airplane which may be of any stan-dard construction and the 25 plane in this instance is of the monoplane type, although it may be of other style, having at its nose end the propeller B and at the tail end the tail rudder C.

Located within the body A of the airplane and 30 at the longitudinal center thereof is a tubular guide It, while spaced below the same and parallel therewith is a supplemental guide II, these being fitted with spaced fore and aft sleeve-like slides I2 and I3, having joined therewith the 35 transverse spars I4 of the main monoplane wing I5 which projects laterally beyond opposite sides of the body A, as is usual. The opposite sides of the body A have formed therein suitable slots for clearance for the spars I Il to permit longitudi- 40 nal displacement of the wings l5 relative to the body A of the plane.

Joined with the slides I2 and I3 is the wheeled landing gear I6 which may be of folding or other type and is displaceable with the wing I5 of the 45 plane in a longitudinal direction. Built upon the slide I2 is a hanger I1 for a shock cord or spring I B, the same being disposed fore of the hanger and connected with the body A of the plane in any suitable manner, while connected 50 with the slide I3 is a shock cord or spring I9, these cords or springs I8 and I9 being for the purpose of advancing the wing I5 with the landing gear I6 longitudinally and stabilizing the plane in flight and when landing in a short eld 55 The feed-'screwl22 carries at.its;rear-endamniversal jointv24conne cting with ita stem 25 telescoped within a turning column 2B, the stem and column being so connected as to rotate in unison for permitting telescopical movement of the .stem

25within the column. This column 26-is ro- Y *tatably supported within a bracket 2l pivotedat 28 to a fixed part of ',the body, while the uppermost end of the column 26 carries a hand'fwheel 29 so that the column 26 can be rotated in they bracket 21 and in this manner the screw 22 will be 'operated'for changingthe position of the wing I5 and the landing gear I6 orthe adjustment thereof for stabilizing purposes.

I Thecarriage 20 has pivotally mounted thereon e a foot pedal 39 controlling al latching pin :3l

engageable in av keeper notch 32 in the guide vI9 and this pin, when engaged with the notch, will hold or latch .the carriage 20 at the limit of its rearmost movement, the carriage being moved 'to this position by the screw 22 under actuation of the hand wheel 29, as should be apparent. Normally the carriage 20 is latche'd with the guide I0 and the slides IN2 and I3 are in the position as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings,'so that the wing 'I5 will be located'for normal flight of the plane, while in Figure 3 the said wing has been shifted forwardly to safety position for landing, the said wing being in the` farthest advanced position to the front of the plane and this being brought about by releasing the-carriage 20 so that the springs I8and I9.will operate upon the slides I2 and I3 to shoot the same forwardly on the guide I 0 to the-position as shown in said Figure 3 of the drawings.

It should be obvious that a pilot, when operating the hand wheel 29 by positive action of the screw 22, will cause the slides I2 and I3 and the wing I5 with the landing gear I3 attached to move backward or forward as desired and thus stabilizing the plane in iiight and when landing in a short eld or making any'dangerous land- 2,020,772 l.. .-Ii I,

ing where there'is liability of the planefnosing over. The pedal 30 can be 'manually operated, causing' the release of the carriage and by the action of the springs I8 and I9 the wing and landing gear will be shot forward instantly so 5 that the landing gear and wings willy befar forward of the longitudinal balance point of the planefthrowing a large portion ofthe airplanes weight back of the landing gear and onto its tail skid,AAA preventing the plane from ffnosingover, 10 InA this afljustmenththe pllot.,rnay thenup on taking oif, or before taking off, operate the wheel 29 to jretract the 'appliance to its normal position,

as is shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

Whatfis "claimed is: f f s 1. In an airplane, a wingmovable fore and aft, slides movably supporting'said wing, means for shooting the slides-forwardly, means for locking the slides against forward shooting movement, and means for moving the slides forwardly 20 or rearwardly* when locked against shooting movement.

In an airplane, a wing movable fore and aft/,slides movably. supporting said wing, means for shooting the slides forwardly, means for lock- 2 5V ing the-slides against forward shooting movementy means for moving the slides forwardly or rearwardly when locked against shooting movement, and means for controlling the last-named means manually. 30

3. In an airplane, a wing movable fore and aft, slides movably supporting said wing, means for shooting the slides forwardly, means for locking the slides against forward shooting movement, means for moving the slides forwardly or 35 rearwardly when locked against shooting movement, means for controlling the last-named means manually, and a landing gear movable with the wing.

4. In an airplane, a body, a wing longitudinally 4(7) movable relative to the body, slides fitted in the body and supporting the wing, a landing gear carried by the slides, a carriage movable relative to the slides, a feed screw connecting the carriage and slides, means for locking the carriage against 45 movement, means for shooting the slides forwardly when the carriage is unlocked, and means for operating the feed screw to vary the relation of the slides with respect to the carriage when locked or unlocked.

' CORNWALLIS D. ELLINGSTON. 

